Echo and Narcissus
THE NEVER ENDING CYCLE OF LOVE AND FURY
The Myth of Echo and Narcissus.
And What does Zeus, allfather and King of the Ancient Greek Gods, and his wife Hera have to do with it?
ZEUS' LOVE FOR NYMPHS / HERA'S LOVE FOR ZEUS
Zeus loved courting nymphs. His wife Hera, with fierce love for her husband, was envious and tried to catch him mid-act. Whenever she was about to catch him, Echo, a nymph, distracted her with lengthy conversations (Zeus' Orders).
HERA'S LOVE FOR ZEUS TURNS INTO HATE FOR ECHO
Hera saw through the deception, got furyous, and cursed Echo. From that moment on, the once loquacious nymph could only repeat the most recently spoken words of another person. She became (an) Echo.
ECHO'S LOVE FOR NARCISSUS
The story continues and Echo falls in love with the young hunter, Narcissus. She was completely smitten with him, enraptured, struck. Though she wished with all her heart to call out to Narcissus, Hera's curse prevented her — Hate Preventing LOVE.
During the hunt, Narcissus seperates from his companions, calls out, ‘Is anyone there?’
Echo repeats his words.
Narcissus, startled, answers the voice, ‘Come here.’
Echo repeats the same.
When Narcissus saw that nobody had emerged from the glade, he concluded that the owner of the voice must be running away from him and called out again:
"This way, we must come together..."
- And here Tragedy is born. -
Taking this to be a reciprocation of her love, Echo concurred with love and vigor and enthousiasm:
"We must come together!"
Echo rushed to Narcissus, ready to throw her arms around what she thinks is her beloved.
Narcissus, however, was appalled and, spurning her...
...Narcissus said, ‘Hands off! May I die before you enjoy my body.’
All Echo could whimper back, reluctantly (because of Hera's hateful curse still impeding), in reply was, ‘enjoy my body...
...having done so she fled, scorned, humiliated, and shamed
LOVE FOR NARCISSUS TURNS INTO HATE - INTO HIS NEMESIS
Despite the harshness of his rejection, Echo's love for Narcissus only grew. However, Echo's fellow nymphs were livid, and prayed to Nemesis to punish Narcissus with a love that was equally not reciprocated.
HATE FOR NARCISSUS TURNS INTO IMPOSSIBLE SELF LOVE
Nemesis forces him to fall in love with his own reflection in a pool of water.
Here he wastes away and dies; unable to take his eyes away from the beautiful youth he did not recognise as himself.
Narcissus, looking one last time into the pool uttered:
"Oh marvellous boy, I loved you in vain, farewell."
Echo too chorused, "Farewell."
Eventually, Echo, too, began to waste away.
Though she was immortal, her body faded and her bones turned to stone.
Today, all that remains of Echo is the sound of her voice. This was the story of the never ending cycle of love and hate, that always leads to ruin. And imagine what tainted heritage the Narcissus flower now carries, imbued with such tragedy - What happens when it is given?
Note. Life is a coin; there’s always two sides to it all. That is the dualistic nature of reality. No dark, no light. No Narcissus, no Echo. No Echo, no Narcissus flower . . .
If the above is — following dialectics’ aestheticism — a tragedy, something which was hidden, something which was concealed, was revealed. Hidden / Concealed love was expressed and routed and scorned and unrequited. But. No tragedy, no comedy. Then there’s something comedic going on, something ironic. It is funny how women and girls often receive narcissus flowers as part of bouquets for Women’s Day in Russia…
(one of the most important days in Russia; if you know Russian culture; or ever dated a Russian woman..trumping “Valentine’s” day; Japan has the superior White Day)
…perhaps a small peace offering — too little, too late, doom is always too late, love is always laced with the kiss of doom — of this tormented, self-obsessed soul embedded in each delicate fruit of life and love. A man’s love, partially, belongs to a woman, and not himself. And if not in life, then definitely in death, and definitely across the vast swathes of the space time continuum unbeknownst to any sextant nor first mate of love.
Further Reading - Into the Antiquity:
HOOA